


a neverending story

by WendigoBaby



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Couch Cuddles, Domestic Fluff, M/M, alec is reading TSOA, soft boyfriends, they're gonna be immortal together and never going to die
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-02
Updated: 2017-12-02
Packaged: 2019-02-09 18:48:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12894456
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WendigoBaby/pseuds/WendigoBaby
Summary: They mean the world to one another, ready to go into dangerous battle and travel across the world to stay by each other’s sides, devoted and loyal and forever caring. They remind Alec of his own feelings for Magnus, how quick he’d be to jump into the deepest pit if needed so, how he and Magnus stick together through thick and thin, despite all the trouble the universe throws at them.Just as Achilles and Patroclus, they weren’t meant to be and yet here they are, happy and content and in love larger than life.





	a neverending story

**Author's Note:**

> if you haven't read the book, there's some vague spoilers ahead! (also you should read TSOA and weep with everyone)
> 
> again crossposting from tumblr :' )

The thing about snow is that you either love it or hate it. For Alec, it’s been mostly a nuisance, getting in his hair and eyelashes during a patrol, making the chase harder, boots sinking and slipping in the fresh layer of fluff. But he does enjoy it sometimes, just when he’s inside.

 

While the temperature in New York is a frostbite threat to Alec’s valuable fingers, he’s warm and toasty underneath a thick plush blanket and with Magnus’ body acting like a personal heater. They’re having a slow, quiet evening, spending time together in the form of cuddles and catching up on their respective reading after yet another busy week.

 

As the snowstorm continues to dance like dandelion fuzz outside the loft windows, Magnus’ hand leaves Alec’s hair to turn the page of his book. They’ve managed to transform the living room couch into a nest of pillows and a large stack of those makes up Magnus’ backrest where he’s tucked into the corner of the sofa. Between his thighs, Alec is seated comfortably, his back against Magnus’ chest, body shifting gently with each calm breath.

 

Magnus’ hand returns to brushing through Alec’s messy hair, the pads of his fingers pleasant pressure points against his skin; the repetitive motion makes Alec feel sleepy and at peace - if he wasn’t reading, he’d probably be dozing off already, but he can’t make himself put the book down.

 

It’s one from Magnus’ abundant library, with a shiny cover and obviously more recent, standing out against tomes yellowed with age. At first, it didn’t capture Alec’s attention, as it was seemingly a book about Greek history and he has already read a handful of those, Shadowhunter Academy memories of hours of studying coming back like an unpleasant chill. Still, there was something different about it - a retelling of certain events through a lens including a relationship between men, warriors and lovers at once in an echo of the Iliad.

 

It struck something inside Alec - before coming out, before Magnus, he’d have stayed away from anything that didn’t fit within the rules he set for himself under the pressure of the world and his parents. But nothing is stopping him now, so he plucked it off the shelf and dove right in.

 

And what a ride it has been so far. The story itself has been interesting and captivating, painting vivid pictures in Alec’s mind, the main characters likable despite the large chasm between the centuries of theirs and Alec’s lives. But what stood out the most to Alec weren’t the descriptions or certain plot points, but the relationship between Achilles and Patroclus.

 

They mean the world to one another, ready to go into dangerous battle and travel across the world to stay by each other’s sides, devoted and loyal and forever caring. They remind Alec of his own feelings for Magnus, how quick he’d be to jump into the deepest pit if needed so, how he and Magnus stick together through thick and thin, despite all the trouble the universe throws at them.

 

Just as Achilles and Patroclus, they weren’t meant to be and yet here they are, happy and content and in love larger than life.

 

There have been certain lines that were memorable, but not in the way this one is. Alec pauses his reading, heart struck with a wave of emotion surging through his ribcage - it leaves him full of affection for the man just by his side, full of awe for all the good he has done and all the impossible feats he has managed, a demigod just like Achilles himself.

 

Alec makes a low noise to draw Magnus’ attention, tilts his head back to look up him. Early afternoon shadows settle in the deep points of Magnus’ face, but his eyes are tender and his smile is soft when he answers Alec.

 

“What is it, love?” He asks, closing his book, setting it by his side with the page marked.

 

“There’s a quote here that says how I feel about you.”

 

One of Magnus’ eyebrows quirks up in interest and he inclines his head lightly. “Read it to me, then.”

 

Alec finds the right line again, runs the tip of his tongue over his bottom lip. “I will never leave him. It will be this, always, for as long as he will let me.”

 

It’s as true as it gets; they’ve been with each other for a few years now and from the very beginning, Alec knew that this is it. From the moment he fell for Magnus, loving another man felt inconceivable, impossible. However many years Alec has left on this earth, they will all be spent by Magnus’ side.

 

Magnus’ smile widens for a moment before he hides it against the side of Alec’s head, presses a kiss against the shell of his ear, his quiet voice sending shivers down Alec’s spine. “How about forever?”

 

Alec twists until he can see Magnus better, spot the pleasantly surprised expression he always wears after Alec confesses something, which seems to happen more regularly than one might anticipate. It baffles Alec sometimes, how Magnus seems to believe that there will be a day when Alec’s love for him fades; not a chance.

 

“I like the sound of that.”

 

Magnus’ hand slides from the side of Alec’s head to the back of his neck, draws him closer for a kiss. It’s slow and chaste, still leaving Alec craving more as Magnus lets his lips brush against Alec’s.

 

“Alexander, do you know how their story ends?” Magnus’ tone is more solemn now, even though he’s smiling still as his eyes wander over Alec’s face, snagging on his parted mouth.

 

He does indeed - it ends like most warrior tales: in death and in the sorrow of hearts. But this is not their story. This is not the fate Alec and Magnus will suffer.

 

Alec drops his book in his lap, slides his fingers between Magnus’, warm skin against cool, one faint heartbeat against another.

 

He smiles, reassuring and thoughtful, before pressing a kiss to the skin of Magnus’ palm.

 

“We deserve a softer ending, don’t you think?”

**Author's Note:**

> you can find me [here](https://maghnvsbane.tumblr.com/)


End file.
